BREAKING: CheaperThanDirt Suspends ALL Firearm Sales

CheaperThanDirt.com announced via Facebook only minutes ago that they are suspending all firearms sales. The company is best known for their sales of ammunition and firearm accessories, but had recently begun selling actual guns as well. The company posted the the following message . . .

Cheaper Than Dirt! is suspending online sales of firearms effective immediately. We are reviewing our policy internally, and will continue to be the leader in the outdoor industry with our full line of gear and accessories.

It looks like this may simply be a temporary suspension of sales, but given the recent news about Freedom Group I’m not holding my breath. The backlash was both quick and vitriolic on their Facebook page:

Yup, the price of dirt is going up everywhere. If you can even find it. You should see the prices over at sameasdirt.com and pricierthandirt.com. I wonder if Chris Christy will bring them up on gouging charges.

I just saw the announcement that CTD is pulling online sales and have received several reports of CTD’s price gouging on high cap magazines.

Poor Form.

I will not do any business with your company in the future. Your company is not welcome in any projects that I operate and I will discourage everyone in the industry (customers, media & manufacturers) from doing any business with CTD in the future.

You’re right that it is the free market to charge whatever you want. But the other side of the free market is that consumers have just as much right decide to get pissed and stop buying from you. Regardless of demand or heck, even reality, perception drives a lot of the world. If Midway or anyone else chooses to keep their prices lower, they’re going to buy a boat load of loyalty and it’s going to turn out better for them in the long run.

Brian, you don’t have to buy anything from them if you don’t want to. It’s voluntary. And, they’re not charging whatever they want, per se. They’re charging whatever the market will bear. If they have limited supply and sudden large demand, the price will go up. How high the price will end up depends on what the customers are willing to pay right now. If you want those PMAGS now, you will need to pay the price as determined by the market. If they raised their prices to $60 for no reason, while others charge half of that, or a third, for example, the $60 will not last at all. The market regulates itself.

While I appreciate the arguments that it’s not gouging, it’s free-market, etc., I have to disagree. When there are multiple online retailers still selling PMAGS for $15, (I ordered a 10-pack not five minutes ago), raising their price to $30 last night and $60 this morning is a jackass move that many will not soon forget.

Matt, if they raised their prices to $60 for no reason, if there was no change in demand to justify this, then nobody will buy from them at those prices. As such, they will have to bring the price down to a competitive level. Maybe they just anticipate a large change in demand and thus increased their prices….well, perhaps they made a mistake and there will be no change in demand. That happens too. Well, the mistake will be corrected by bringing the prices down to a competitive level sooner rather than later.

John, my point is that I think all CTD is doing is judging the market and trying to set prices accordingly. If they are right, and $60 is what market will bear, then that’s what their customers want to pay at this time. If they’re wrong and they’ve misjudged the demand, they will have to bring the prices down quickly to a competitive level, because nobody will buy at these prices. But for some reason, Rob and many other people see it as price gauging, and not as supply-demand reaction. As you’ve said yourself, the supply at another retailer seems to be exhausted now. So we can either buy now from CTD at higher prices or wait and buy in the future, possibly at lower prices. It’s our choice, we don’t have to buy PMAGS or anything else from CTD at $15 or $60. But others will, and their demand, applied to CTD’s supply will determine the new price. We don’t have to like the new price, we may think it’s too high, but it will be determined by what other people are willing to pay.

I suggest taking a freshman level economics class or even just reading the wikipedia entry on supply and demand. Limited supply plus massive demand equals a rise in price. If other companies aren’t raising prices, they’re just being stupid.

Agreed. There’s a limited supply, while demand must have gone up significantly. Change in demand will be reflected in the new price. You can buy at a higher price now or wait for demand to subside and buy at lower prices then. Of course, this could be a while. Econ 101, really.

As for suspending gun sales, I think they don’t want any negative publicity in case there is a copycat killer who might buy a gun from CTD. They’ll probably resume normal sales later.

“Price gouging” is a good thing. It deters purchases from those who don’t really need the item but buy based on fear and the possibility of them becomming unavailable, and it acts to leave on the shelves product for those who really do need it. Also, it puts a signal out to the market to increase the supply because of the profit opportunities.

That added supply from the “greedy price gougers” then puts a downward pressure on the price. The price system works, and “price gouging” is part of it.

The only way we’ll beat this is the Ronnie Barrett solution: the next time any political actor pushes forth the AWB, again, it’s high time the entire smallarms/accessories/component manufacturers cowboy the F’ up forge together, and cease ALL sale/service/resupplying of govt agencies/and or its actors.

See how the Feinsteins and Schumers of the world would like it without armed individuals protecting them 24/7 in the city with one of the worst murder rates in the world, something most of the citizenry do not have the luxury of: tax-funded private Praetorian Guards.

THAT is the only way in which the sheeple will begin to realize just how instrumental the gun culture is to America, our founding principles, and not to mention, our economy.

As we are observing in sickening succession, you’re seeing all the fakes in the industry whose love was for ‘cool gears’ in the material sense only: this is precisely why often some of our fellow gunowners & especially OFWG hunters are our worst enemy. Unless one understands history, principled legal premise of the UNALIENABLE natural right of self-defense in what the gun represents, NOT hunting, per-se, they’ll continue to cower as Alan Corwin’s article alluded to, and be clueless as to how to rebut utterly historically imbecilic media hacks when the anti’s come at us, especially at emotional times, in the immediate aftermath of spate of recent mass shootings.

One thing ALL who get interviewed by MSM need to do is, PERSONALIZE the MSM questioner: ie, ‘tell me Soledad O’ Brien of CNN, what tool would you use if some armed scumbag was in your house about to rape you? Use harsh language? Throw down a verbal comeback? Play dead? Plead?’

‘And say even if a cop were able to arrive, magically within nano seconds of you being about to be raped, what TOOL do you suppose he’ll use?’

‘A gun you say?’

‘So you’re not opposed to the idea of stopping an armed thug, WITH a gun. It’s just WHOM, that you have a problem with?’

‘Then tell me, Soledad, are cops bred in some special genetics lab? I thought the whole idea behind govt ‘standards’ is the ability to universally teach anyone from average to lowest common denominator among a given populace the skills that are needed carry out a task, be they cops or military. So you’re simply telling me that you believe a select group in society are somehow genetically more innately capable of handing guns, than others??’

It’s like, should I lose my right of habeas corpus, every time some crazy terrorist blows himself up? Should Soledad O’ Brien lose her right to speak, if a pedophile speaks or murderers a child? Does my unalienable rights depend on the worst extreme actions of a lunatic? Does my natural rights become infringed depending on the shifting political winds and moronic collectivist whims, as IF we’re in a pure mob-rule ‘democracy,’ and not in a REPUBLIC??

We must double down, get in the face of these historically delusional anti’s and NEVER compromise on the fundamental premise that 2nd amendment only codifies a pre-existent natural right of self-defense; it does not grant rights, only guarantees what existed before it.

Unless us gunowners ourselves fully accept that, and are able to communicate that, many amongst us will continue cower, and our enemies will be more emboldened with glee.

For us, who actually do have the moral high ground, it is astounding to me how people feel guilty, and almost feel a knee jerk reaction to pre-emptively apologize for actions of a lunatic, EVERY time some a-hole go postal.

Just look at the growing coward list: NRA, Discovery Channel, Cebereus Group (actually glad they’re spinning them off; gun owners do not need Wall St. paper shuffler who’ve never built a single industry destroying an amazing array of vibrant smallarms industry businesses), Walmart, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Sen. Rubio (FL-R) and now Cheaper than Dirt.

It’s time for all to cowboy the F’ up; just as we don’t negotiate with terrorists, we should never compromise our principles on things that we already know to be true and immutable: the State, or the Mob of a pseudo-democracy cannot legislate away ANY of our natural rights, especially in a Constitutional Republic like ours, or whatever’s left of it.

Well said. As for the NRA being cowards. I just sent them the following:

While I appreciate that the NRA stayed silent on this tragedy until people had a time to grieve and cool-off, I believe it’s now time to get back to the business of standing up for gun rights. In particular, taking a stance against any bans of “assault weapons” or high capacity magazines. While I know many of our members prefer to focus on hunting related issues, I feel it’s important to take a stand on this particular issue. I feel strongly enough about it, that if I don’t see the NRA defending these rights, I’m going to start questioning my future membership.

I see that you are no longer selling firearms. Since I greatly value freedom over political correctness, I cannot support this action. Thank you for your cowardice, it allows me to make the decision to take my business elsewhere much easier.

Thank you for taking a stand on this. I also sent them the following message:

As a long term customer who has ordered thousands, let me correct that statement: probably tens of thousands of dollars of gear and ammo over the years; I’m saddened to see that CheaperThanDirt is capitulating to the latest anti-gun Political Correctness that’s sweeping the country. You can forget about me ever ordering another item from you if you don’t reverse this policy immediately.

+1000 Mr Pincus!!!! Our LGS is selling everything they have in AR’s but for their normal 10% over cost.
At closing time we still had 7 customers looking at AR’s.
3 people tried to buy my M1 carbine that I have on layaway! Sold over 60 Pmags for $22 each in less than 30 minutes. They did limit each customer to 5 each to be fair to other customers. Just a few of the reasons I only do business with them.

Ugh say it aint so. All the more mainstream retailers (online and brick and mortar) are jumping ship, helping to demonize what we love and hold dear. If your next breaking news story reads “NRA joins forces with the Brady Campaign to end gun violence/ Wanyne LaPierre replaced by Diane Fienstien” I will believe that the end of the world is near and the Mayan calendar is true.

Support those who stick to their guns (no pun intended) and stand by what they hold true.

I also like the fact the CEO of midway does those cool little videos like how to blue print your rifle etc… Goes to show you he is a business guy, but also a gun guy through and through.
They may not be cheaper on some things, but you know what, if they support our rights, don’t raise prices because of a political climate, I would rather stick with them.

I still remember my first order from Midway. It was in 1987 from a paper ad in shotgun news for a Lyman No. 55 powder measure. I wasn’t old enough to drive at the time so I rode my bike to the grocery store to get a money order to send them by snail mail.

Impactguns.com either sold all of their 5.56 ARs in the last 90min or they pulled them too, all that is listed now are .22lr. I hate to pull out the tinfoil hat, but doesn’t all of the online retailers going down on the ARs at the same time seem a little sinister? Gun owners have looooong memories and they are posing lots of us off.

Rob, see my comments above. They’re charging whatever the market will bear. If Midway or others are not experiencing changes in demand, they won’t raise prices. Thus, if CTD set their price at $60, that price won’t last. The market will regulate itself. But they must have set their price to that level because of limited supply and sudden large demand change. So if you want to get a pmag RIGHT NOW from CTD, that’s the market price. Or you can wait and see if the prices come down later, once demand subsides (assuming that the supply has not been exhausted). No reason to get ticked off, you don’t have to buy pmags from CTD if you don’t want to, whatever the price.

Say what? If Rob or anybody does not want to buy from them, that’s fine. I don’t care. But the point is that he’s perceiving it as price gauging, which is incorrect. If CTD is experiencing high demand while supplies are low, it’s only natural to increase prices. But if other retailers are not experiencing the same, and supply is high, than prices will stay low and people will buy there and not from CTD. Then, CTD will have to lower prices as demand falls. No soap box, I don’t care if you buy anything from CTD, Midway or others.

You see, when you choose not to buy from them, that’s the “punishment.” You take your business elsewhere. So it does not make sense for a business to raise prices for no reason while other retailers keep prices low.

His choosing to not do business is self regulation of the market. It doesn’t matter what he calls it or why. That’s what you don’t get. This is how it happens. You might see that if you’d stop trying to give everyone here a lesson in economics.

It matters what he calls it, because he’s perceiving it incorrectly, which in turn leads him to boycott the store for the wrong reasons. If demand goes up (and supply does not), prices go up. That’s it, supply and demand, not price gauging. Did you read any of my previous posts at all? I’m not trying to give you any lessons, but I think of the two of us I’m the one who took any.

Somewhat you’re saying is that we can only be correct if we call,it what you say we should based on your assumption of what demand might be? You see to think very highly of yourself. Have you noticed that you are by far in the minority here? I guess you are smarter than everyone else, yes?
Even if pincus is incorrect about it being price gouging, who cares? It doesn’t change anything. He’s still not buying from them. The effect on the market remains unchained. If there are enough people who agree then perception becomes reality and CTD suffers as a result. Right or wrong never even comes to play.

I understand what you two are arguing about, but I don’t understand why you’re arguing about it. Whether or not it’s defined as “price gouging” is semantics. They still went all politically correct and stopped selling firearms of any kind. That’s the bigger story.

Jim, by your logic, if enough people agree that pink unicorns exist, then I guess that makes it a reality, eh? And yes, I’m a contrarian. But because you’re in the majority, that does not mean you’re right.

No, I just took your reasoning to its logical extreme. Bottom line, there must be a reason why CTD increased the prices so much. If there isn’t one, or if they made a mistake, then they will lose customers and then their prices will go down when markets make a correction. Simple.

I do understand the idea of supply and demand.
In order to rationalize this I can think of two things.
1. CTD is running low on inventory, price goes up. Not a right thing to do, but their choice.
2. They are non stocking, i.e. they buy from the manufacturer when orders are placed, or something along those lines. I don’t think this is the case, but if the manufacturer shoots up the price that passes on to the customer.
3. They are upping the price to make money because of panic. Seems plausible, but we really don’t know.

It might be worth trying to find out if the manufacturers are now back ordered, or if there are other trends that might be causing issues. I am pretty sure Midway has a huge inventory, so they might be immune. Then again CTD not making comments on things, and pulling all firearm sales just seems silly. Online retailers are probably most insulated from all this, and any sale, the gun is shipped to an FFL who does the paper work. this pretty much absolves the online retailer of any wrong doing..

Today, I’m going to order those three Buckmark Camper .22LR mags from Cheaper Than Dirt before their execs announce they are converting their online site to selling only new age candles and magic potions.

They have a moral and legal right not to sell guns if they choose. They are not responsible to sell guns. The media does not have a moral right to spread untrue misinformation hoping to takeaway our 2A rights.

People lets keep our heads. Right now every gun dealer in the country is being hit with record panic sales of folks buying guns for Christmas and because of the high risk of adverse legislation after CT.Budsgunshop yesterday had a bulletein begging people to stop calling them for order updates.A company may simply be too back logged to accept new orders .

Palmetto State Armory has a banner explaining their unprecedented demand. Wanted an order status on .22 ammo and then shrugged and before calling decided to simply wait.
I have enough for several range trips already – when it gets here, it gets here. No need to inflict further stress on a vendor when I simply have to wait a few days…

This morning I ordered a 16″ middy upper from PSA while they still had it. The front pages warns of a 15 day lead on all non FFL items. The order confirmation email said they’re email me once they figured out when the delivery date might be.

CTD sucks anyway. If you order multiple items and they ship out of different warehouses, you basically pay double shipping. And their prices aren’t cheaper than dirt. Midway USA and Brownells are always much cheaper. I think Brownells has 10 packs of pmags for $99.99 right now.

1. Gunnies don’t forget. I’ve seen political hacks remark, with awe, disgust and fear (combined) that American gun owners have the longest political memories of any voter group out there. The British expression is “holding paper” – ie, to “hold paper” on someone is to remember things for a long time.

Gunnies don’t forget. Individually, we remember a tremendous amount of stuff on people, companies, politicians, etc. Collectively, there is no political group who holds paper like the gun voter bloc.

2. Screwing your customers to please a group who a) are not your customers and b) will never be your customers… is just plain stupid.

3. We talk with each other. We do business with each other. Because we’re one of the most wired commercial communities on the ‘net, word gets around…. fast. TTAG is part of that, and there’s lots more besides.

Because there may not be enough time to stick the consumer with soon to be taken goods. Or their inventories are low enough they can cancel orders (always wondered how deep their inventory was anyway) from the manufacturers. Something is defiantly in the works. All Impact has in .566 is 1 upper.

Things seem to be getting worse by the minute; particularly the latest about Freedom Group! I understand what they are doing (protecting investors from the coming flood of lawsuits), but this move is part of a much broader, and terrifying, string of behavior by pro-2A organizations and pols.

I don’t own an AR, but fully support any law-abiding person who does, or wants to own one. My fear is that Washington is going to take very broad approach and try to get as much as possible when the virtual tsunami of legislation starts in January. Just watch, we’ll start to see hand guns and shot guns creep into the “debate” very soon. And I’m particularly afraid it will not just be semi-auto firearms.

I live in Massachusetts, so burying my beloved implements in an undisclosed location is not an option; they know everything I own! I saw a spot on the local news last night where one of our State Senators and the Executive Director of Gun Owners Action League were debating the need for new gun control measures. The pol, David Paul Linsky (he’s a real douche; authored a bill requiring GPS trackers to be placed on all hand guns) said that he and some colleagues would be “examining every comma” of MA gun laws in order to “close all of the loop-holes”. I’m not exactly sure what he meant, but we will most likely see a flurry of draconian changes proposed. people in this State are already waiting nearly a year, in some cases, for a firearms permit application to be processed.

I layawayed a Sig 716 on Gunbroker 3-4 days ago and went to check last night out of the other 15-16 716’s available on GB there were only 3-4 left listed and the other one for sale from Reds Trading Post was gone also.

Maybe 2 516’s left also when there were more than a dozen a few days before.

its all going nuts whether pulling them off or selling them that fast I don’t know.
I might even get screwed with my layaway even though they are not even banned yet.

I posted a question on their page while removing my FB like for them, essentially, I inquired if this online FB posting for them constituted sufficient notice under the WARN Act to their employees of mass layoffs and/or plant closings. THEY ARE DONE!

There does seem to be a run on bulk ammo at the moment. Lucky Gunner is out of .223, 5.56, and 7.62×39. They didn’t pull it, they sold it all (at their normal prices). Might have to see if I can get some .223 FMJ bullets to roll my own.

Its awfully easy to cease all sales of firearms when pretty much everything, everywhere is sold out and back ordered into oblivion.
Its a PR move with an empty stockroom. If they had shelves full of AR’s they would be announcing a sale.
CTD is a joke glad I have never given them a cent.

The price of CTD’s Browning Buckmark .22LR mags is now less than it was two days ago by a couple bucks. I called their 800# to ask how I can avoid them selling my contact info and the phone number was the freakin busy sound.

I have less of an issue with retailers deciding not to sell semi-products since it is their choice than I do with the mass media and their ad sponsors waging a deceitful propaganda war against the 2A.

this smells to high heaven like they all got a “urgent memo to all ffl’s” from ATFE while the “legality” of certain firearms are reviewed. along with ” strong recommendations ” on what to do untill the issue is resolved.

.Midway has taken down their reloading page and the hunting gear page. Impact is still up. I didn’t check on CTD, those f’s. I pisses me off that after making a tidy sum on us gunners, these chicken shits are the first to head for the hills. Think there will be enough room under the bus for all of us?

If you want to do something about this, write the manufacturers of ammo, components, etc and ask that they quit doing business with Cheaper Than Dirt and their owners. Starve their supply and demand so the company dies.

I think when it comes to companies like Stag, and BC, and Spike’s, it’s that they’re completely overwhelmed, and don’t want to promise what they can’t deliver. I see that as much more likely than a mass-conspiracy or a “sekret gummint memo” telling them to “get out now.”

I think they are on a floating supply demand.
Let’s say you as a private customer and go to Stag Arms, or Spikes, and places an order. You are not their only customer! Imagine now all the LGS’s across the country calling them and placing orders. Our LGS might order 50 stripped lowers at a time. And they are a tiny shop! The LGS usually comes first to get the bulk orders done.
So really they are pushing off individuals for a while, and saying go to your LGS, because they have overwhelmed us with orders.

Not so weird when you think about it. Many companies run a “just in time” inventory system, so it’s not hard for them to get overwhelmed when the cause of the “run” on their stuff is unexpected. Add to that the fact that we live in a globally and instantly connected world. You go to Stag and they’re out, so what do you do? Immediately click on Bravo Company, and holy crap, they’re out too, so it’s on to Palmetto State, and they have 2 left, wait, no, you blinked, and now they’re out. See what I mean?

Just had a thought. What is CTD and the other companies going to do with their inventories? They have already paid for the merchandise. If they refuse to sell it then they run up huge losses. My guess is that most of the offending retailers will be back in the market when things calm down.

CTD prices are ridicules anyway, I don’t see how they have remained in business as long as they have, with the slightest bit of Google fu, you can find just about anything they carry is sold cheaper somewhere else.

hey…. HEY….!!!! Somebody just rang my DOORBELL I think THEY are here NOW to confiscate my GUNS…!!!!
Man some of you guys need to chill out a little…. Matt in Fl is right about all these guys being on JIT systems and not holding thousands of dollars of inventory… There is a whole bunch of panic buying going on right now on top of what was already a huge run on firearms and ammunition. People who have been putting off purchases until after the holidays are all deciding they better not wait. Then reading stuff like all these comments drives other people to do the same thing. It feeds on itself after a while… Buddy of mine just sent me a text message — he just bought 500 rounds of .223 and the guy right in front of him in the check out line was buying 2500 dollars worth…!!! Well, I guess Obama’s gonna put everyone back to work one way or another…!!!

Took me three submissions to get the form mail to go through off their website – but this is what I sent:

“Pandering to the anti-gun people and/or the politically correct media machine by suspending firearm sales? Is that who we have been supporting in the past with our hard-earned money at CheaperThanDirt.com?

Well you can forget about seeing another red cent out of my bank account. And I will be sure to let all my 2nd Amendment friends & family know that when push comes to shove, CTD will cave into the pressure.

Just got this in an email:
Cheaper Than Dirt! recently announced that it was temporarily suspending online sales of firearms pending a review of its order processing and procedures. Well-known for its ability to process and ship orders within 24 hours, online sales have skyrocketed to a point where it may take up to 72 hours for firearms and other items to ship.

“In light of recent events, we believe it is prudent to review our policies and procedures to ensure we can continue to provide the products and firearms our customers demand,” said Chief Operations Officer Roberta Wilson. “We will resume online sales once we update our process and continue as we have always done by shipping firearms only to FFL dealers.”

Ms. Wilson closed with, “As a long-time supporter of the Second Amendment, we will continue to serve the needs of the firearms community while ensuring our unsurpassed level of quality and customer service

Were they really trying to make the site work better, or did they get scared and now realize how cowardly they made themselves look?

Even tho they support the 2nd Amendment I will not do business with them ever again. They knee jerked, bowed down,caved whatever you want to call it and then tried to gouge everyone in the country. For the almighty dollar.
If they truly cared about gun owners and the 2A, if nothing else they would have stopped all sales to everyone for a few days.
Instead the dollar was their only Concern and they will never get any of mine again.

NEVER AGAIN will I spend another dime with people that are obviously in business to just make money. Hell, THEY’RE everywhere!
But I was led to believe that CTD was an active 2nd Amendment supporter, more fool I!
Neither will I EVER RECOMMEND CTD to my friends and acquaintances.
Bye bye boys, don’t let the door hit you on the ass on the way out, but if you don’t, my size 12’ll be waitin’ for your sorry asses!

I’ve been hoping to watch them go out of business ever since 2012. And I’ve heard that it wasn’t the first time they’ve price gouged back then. Since then I’ve seen them sell at “market value” on many items and I only wish they would just go out.

Im new to theese news forums guys but there’s more gouging than u know about, i have seen small gun stores order this stuff using thousands of dollars to order stuff and they hold it and sale a lil at a time making a shortage. U might say how much would make a shortage three dealers spending about a hundred grand each plus the public.These guys are cut throat, theres saying for people wuth money ITS JUST BUSINESS.